Zaragoza brings tapas to town

Zaragoza pleases an eclectic palate. The Spanish city steeped in biblical tradition, in a fertile valley equidistant to ocean and sea, was built at a historical crossroads where Iberians, Romans, Goths and Arabians converged with a culinary mélange.

Then there’s Zaragoza Restaurant, the newest eatery on Bank Street in New Milford, which boasts a similar menu if not history. Having opened last month, the tapas bar and grill is a little too young to carry the storied history of its eponymous city, but co-owners Arthur Praino and William Hart nailed the cuisine diversification.

“I just always liked tapas,” said Praino. “Always thought its great to go out, have a few drinks, hang out and don’t get so full; it’s not all about eating but just having a couple of appetizers, relax and share with friends and with family.”

For those unfamiliar, a tapas restaurant delivers a Spanish approach to dining that has patrons order a variety of smaller portions that range in taste and style.

So at Zaragoza, one table could see a dish of pappardelle pasta tossed in mushroom sherry sauce, a dish of grilled prawn served with drawn butter, a dish of house made guacamole with plantain chips, and a dish of New York Strip shish kebob spliced with seasonal vegetables.

The offering of eateries in downtown New Milford is also heterogeneous. Within two square blocks, food service genres range from Chinese to Italian to German to Cuban, but this is the first tapas. Zaragoza is practically neoteric.

Then there’s the care put into a customized bar menu.

“They are my recipes, took me hours upon hours of trying different ingredients just to put each one on there,” said Vanessa Radlet, the bar manager and mixologist.

Like the Litchfield Mule, which is made of local Litchfield Distillery bourbon, ginger beer, simple syrup and cranberries ($12.)

And Radlet is particularly pleased with the Watermelon Rum Refresher, which she made of Real McCoy light rum and green tea, with lime juice and frozen watermelon balls ($12.)

The Food

The menu begins with 11 traditional tapas, with the lowest priced being the tostones dish with black bean purée and salsa ($7) to the highest priced being the assorted cheese and cured meat platter ($21).

There are two $8 traditional options, divided between stuffed piquillo peppers served over an arugula and scallion salad, and the croquette cakes of potato, pancetta and corn over Spanish crème.

Three $9 traditional options include the empanadas, the Cubano sliders, and the meatballs made of veal, chorizo, and pork with a piquant tomato sauce.

For $12 there is a mussels and calamari dish, but also a shrimp, calamari and scallions with an avocado mixture served with plantain chips. And for $13 there is a spicy shrimp platter and a seared octopus over white bean and fennel salad.

The modern tapas selections are divided into seven land, seven sea and seven earth options that start at $7 (frittata with goat cheese; sautéed chickpeas with peppers in tomato sauce) and go up to $14 (lamb chops; tuna tar-tar; swordfish; or scallops.)

The land tapas include organic chicken with rosemary reduction ($10) and slow-cooked short ribs topped with a port wine reduction ($13.) The sea tapas range from a sweet and spicy watermelon calamari ($10) to herb-crusted salmon drizzled with lobster sauce ($13.) The earth tapas include an artichoke stuffed with marscapone cheese and wrapped in prosciutto ($9) and brussels sprouts sautéed with edamame in a sweet balsamic reduction ($9.)

When to Go

Zaragoza Restaurant is open from 5 to 11 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays, 11:30 to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, and 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays.

Insider Tip

n Brunch, lunch and an outdoor patio are coming soon.

How to Get There

From Interstate 84, take Exit 7 and follow Route 7 North. Turn right onto Bridge Street, left onto Main Street, then left onto Bank Street. The restaurant is on the left.